


Gossamer Strings

by Lucid_x_Dreamer



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Artist Keith (Voltron), Artist Lance (Voltron), Background Relationships, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Strings of Fate, additional tags to be added later, aint no lie lance is bi bi bi, allura isn't a princess but you better believe she's treated like royalty, bless my soul- hunk is on a roll, broganes (sorta), fluff fluff fluff fluff FLUFF, hunk is an angel, i like how that's literally a tag wow, its very fluffy, lance also really likes musicals, like bless him- he can single handedly save this entire fanfic, pidge is relentless, these boys are dense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-10-18 17:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10621227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucid_x_Dreamer/pseuds/Lucid_x_Dreamer
Summary: Lance never had to worry about finding his soulmate. Fate didn’t promise him one anyway. No matter how his friends and family tried to convince him that he was just a ‘late-bloomer’, he already knew that there was no use having false hope, especially because the evidence was there every time he closed his eyes. There weren’t any strings attached to him, literally. No Strings meant no soulmates. Didn’t matter whether platonic or romantic, it seemed like Fate didn’t favor Lance, and he was never meant to have that small presence or little reminder that he indeed wasn’t alone. Lance was the only person he knew that was Stringless, however, when he meets a certain raven-haired boy who has a Broken String, he becomes sympathetic and brings it upon himself to become his close friend. But as one thing leads to another, their strange friendship starts to become something more… What will happen between them?Alternatively:A Klance Soulmate Au based off of the Strings of Fate, with a twist to it.





	1. Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah. I uh, started another one. Whoops. 
> 
> But I've had this idea, inspired from a random post I saw online (I don't remember it now but it's somewhere out there), and I really wanted to at least post the first incredibly short chapter of it! I'm a bit upset with how short the first chapter is, but it's usually like this for me and writing. I start off with short chapters, that progressively get longer as I keep writing. This first chapter is really to set things up for the story though, so yeah.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this new idea!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. I uh, started another one. Whoops.
> 
> But I've had this idea, inspired from a random post I saw online (I don't remember it now but it's somewhere out there), and I really wanted to at least post the first incredibly short chapter of it! I'm a bit upset with how short the first chapter is, but it's usually like this for me and writing. I start off with short chapters, that progressively get longer as I keep writing. This first chapter is really to set things up for the story though, so yeah.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this new idea!

    The warm spring air blew softly through Lance’s hair, itching his nose when pollen tickled it. He brought a hand up to rub his nose, sniffing a bit before dropping his hand back down to his side.

    The caramel-skinned boy looked around at his surroundings. It was a rather peaceful day, and the park wasn’t fairly crowded, save for the occasional joggers, picnickers, and those walking their dogs. The trees bore tiny buds, preparing for when they would soon bloom and reveal the beautiful flowers hiding within the buds. The grass was a vibrant green, flowing whenever the wind blew more harshly.

    Lance let out a content sigh, continuing to walk down the concrete pathway towards the glistening lake. He sat down at his favorite bench, crossing one leg over the other as he watched the birds singing and flying around swiftly. The boy leaned his head back to hang it lazily over the back of the bench, staring up at the blue sky. He began to make out shapes in the clouds, seeing a bunny, a cat, and a dick. It made him laugh, leaning back forward to continue watching the birds, smiling to himself as he watched a duck floating along.

    Lance enjoyed the spring over any other season. The awkward transition between winter and spring was always worth the occasional sickness, as the blooming flowers and rain showers always greeted you whenever you got over your cold. Lance loved flowers, and he loved rain, so it would only make sense for him to love spring just the same.

    He closed his eyes and raised his hands to be in front of him. He didn’t see anything. He opened his eyes back up again and frowned, examining his hands. Lance had always considered himself to be patient, but when it came to getting his String, or even Strings, he was incredibly impatient. Although, he already knew very well that at his age, he should’ve already gotten his String. But he never saw a brightly colored thread tied around one of his fingers when he closed his eyes. Lance had long since accepted the fact that he was Stringless and he wasn’t fated to have a soulmate. But that didn’t mean he never felt extremely lonely or longed for a connection.

    Lance rested his hands on his lap as he took another look around at the people around in the park. There were friends hanging out and eating ice cream together, there were couples walking hand in hand and laughing, there were even people by themselves, but they were on their phones talking to someone else on the other end of the line. Lance glanced back down at his hands. He didn’t have anyone on the other end of his line. He didn’t even have a line.

    Lance groaned as he stood and stretched out, feeling his shoulders pop when he extended his arms high above his head. He shoved his hands in his pocket and kicked a few stones by his feet into the lake, satisfied with the little _plunk_ noise each stone made when they fell in.

    He didn’t go outside to get all gloomy again. He went outside to get some fresh air and clear his mind of the gloomy thoughts he’d been having. Clearly, his plan wasn’t working out for him.

    “ _I need a drink_ ,” he thought to himself, starting to walk around the bench. However, as he headed away from the lake, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. When he made his way around a tree situated behind the bench, he could more clearly see that the ‘something’ was a someone. And a very attractive someone at that.

    Lance peaked out from behind the tree in order to stare at the stranger ‘stealthily’. They were sitting by themselves on another bench nearby, seemingly in deep thought. The stranger had jet-black hair that was put up into a messy ponytail by a red scrunchie, though their bangs were still in their face. They had pale skin, and Lance inquired it was either because this person didn’t go out much or was a vampire, though the second thought could easily be crossed out as an option. Besides, it was broad daylight, so any vampire wouldn’t be able to be out in the bright sun anyway.

    The stranger was also wearing a faded red sweater that looked like it had gone through hell- stray threads frayed from the cuffs of the sweater, like the person wearing it constantly did work with their hands. They also wore dark skinny jeans ripped at the knees, possibly deliberately, as the rips seemed to have been tugged at.

    Lance noticed that the person held a large sketchpad in their lap, tapping their bottom lip with the eraser end of a black, sharpened pencil. So they were an artist, huh? Lance took a quick glance around him to make sure no one else was watching them, and decided to muster up a bit of courage to approach this stranger, and hopefully they wouldn’t be strangers any longer.

    As Lance quietly made his way over to the stranger, they noticed his presence and looked up from their sketchpad with large eyes. Lance stumbled a bit when he saw their color; their eyes were a greyish-purple, which was definitely not a natural color for any human to have. The vampire option suddenly didn’t seem so insane anymore.

    “Um, can I help you?” the stranger asked, their voice gentle and confused. Lance gulped.

    “Uh, I- no. I don’t need help with anything. I just noticed that you’re drawing something? Is it the lake?” Lance smiled sheepishly, willing that his cheeks weren’t an obvious crimson color.

    The stranger held their sketchpad closer to their chest, defensively, “Yeah. It’s a really nice day today, so I thought that… it’d be nice to draw outside. You can’t see it though,” They looked up at Lance with a slight pout.

    “Yeah, I already assumed you wouldn’t want me too. I’m an artist too, and it’s really awkward when others ask to see your sketchbooks,” Lance smiled with more confidence when he saw the other relax a bit, obviously relieved that he understood.

    “So, is that all you wanted to say?” They asked.

    “I, uh, well, no? Not exactly,” Lance looked down to avoid eye-contact, “Would you mind if I sat next to you? I won’t look over at your sketchpad, I swear.”

    After a pause, Lance got a nod in response, and the stranger scooted over to give Lance some space to sit down next to them.

    “So, what’s your name?” Lance questioned, looking straight forward at the lake.

    “Keith. Yours?”

    “Lance. Nice to meet you, Keith,” Lance smiled, noticing Keith shift a little next to him, as if unsure of how to respond.

    “Yeah. Nice to meet you too.”

    A few more beats of comfortable silence passed between the two, only the sounds of birds chirping and the scritch-scratching of Keith’s pencil filling it in, before Keith himself decided to break it.

    “Um, have you… This is typically the go to conversation starter, so, have you met your soulmate yet?” He asked, not looking up from his sketchpad. Lance huffed out a little sigh before responding. “Nope.”

    “Oh. Are you hoping to find them soon?”

    “Won’t ever happen.”

    Lance heard Keith stop sketching, “What do you mean?” he asked innocently.

    “I’m Stringless.”

    …

    More silence greeted Lance before he finally turned his head to face Keith. He was staring at Lance with wide-eyes, and Lance couldn’t help but laugh at his shocked expression, “Let me guess, you’ve never met anyone who was Stringless before?”

    Keith shook his head.

    “Figures. I don’t even know anyone else who’s Stringless. People at clubs and bars aren’t even Stringless either; typically, they just want to find their soulmate a little quicker,” Lance leaned back in the bench, closing his eyes and putting his hands in front of him, “Yup. Can’t see anything.”

    He blinked his eyes open and let his hands drop down lazily once again.

    “You don’t have to feel sorry for me or anything either,” Lance waved a hand at Keith, “People usually get really sad and try to console me when I tell them that I’m Stringless. I mean, yeah, I guess it’s pretty depressing being the only one who you’ve ever known not to have a soulmate, but it feels worse when people try to make you feel better about it.”

    Lance decided that he didn’t like how the conversation was one-sided, so he redirected the question right back to Keith, “What about you? Have you met your soulmate yet?”

    “...No.”

    “Do you wanna find them soon?”

    “Won’t happen.”

    Lance paused and look at Keith in confusion, “And what you you mean by that?”

    Keith tensed up, sucking in his bottom lip to chew on it nervously before answering the question, “I have a Broken String.”

    …

    “A Broken String?’

    “A Broken String.”

    “Shit,” Lance breathed out silently, “Shit, I didn’t mean to-”

    He was cut off mid-sentence when Keith held up a hand to silence him, “Y’know how you said how you don’t especially like it when others pity you about being Stringless?”

    Lance nodded.

    “Same sort of deal here. You don’t have to feel sorry about me having a Broken String.  I’ve had a Broken String for as long as I can remember, so I wasn’t ever able to feel an attachment to whoever may have been on the other end of my String anyway.”

    Keith tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, only for it to fall out from its position almost immediately. He grumbled a bit beneath his breath before continuing to sketch.

    Lance sat in shock and silence. Keith was like him, in a way. He didn’t have a destined soulmate, or rather, he no longer did. Lance had never met anyone remotely similar to him in the 21 years he had been alive, and he knew he didn’t want to stop communicating with Keith. Not when there was someone else right there who could properly sympathize with him and understand how he felt.

    “Hey, Keith?”

    “Hmm?”

    “Can I get your number?”

    Keith froze at the question, slowly turning his head to face Lance, with an expression too priceless to put into words. Lance struggled not to laugh.

    “My… number? Wait, were you trying to hit on me this entire time?”

    “Wha- no! No, I wasn’t,” It was a lie. Sure, that was initially his intention, but his motive had changed. “I just want your number so we can keep talking. Y’know, as friends? ‘Cause I’ve never met anyone like me before, and it’s nice to know I’m not the only one without a soulmate…” Lance’s voice trailed off at the end of his sentence, knowing that his choice of words may have not been the best to convince Keith.

    When Lance wasn’t greeted with a reply, he became anxious and allowed his knee to bounce up and down rapidly, “It’s fine if you don’t want to give me your number though, since we just met and all. Like, technically we’re not even friends yet since we just started talking today- maybe more like acquaintances? Or maybe we’re still only stra-”

    He was cut off by a small ripped piece of paper held out in front of him, with a number and name scrawled on it. Lance took it hesitantly, examining it as if it were a fine artifact, before looking back at Keith, who had turned away to hide his face.

    “It’s fine. I don’t really mind it. Like you said, I’ve never met anyone like me before either, so…” he turned his head back around ever so slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips, “Let’s keep in touch.”

    Lance beamed in response, nodding rapidly and whipping out his phone to enter in the digits written on the paper. He stood suddenly after adding the new contact (under the name ‘Pretty Ponytail Boy’), rubbing the back of his neck embarrassed, “I, uh, thanks. For the number and actually talking to me when I randomly came up to you. I’m going to dash now so, I guess I’ll text you later? Oh, and I like your drawing! The lake looks really pretty and detailed,” Lance laughed as the pale-skinned boy defensively brought his sketchpad back to his chest.

    “You _did_ look at it! Damn it, Lance!”

    “Yeah, yeah. You were the one being too careless with how you held the sketchpad, Ponytail.”

    “P-Ponytail?”

    “See ya later, Keith!” Lance called to the flustered boy, who was still yelling after him, as he continued walking away and out of the park.

    As he walked, Lance felt the corners of his mouth twitching upwards into a goofy smile. All he wanted to do that day was go on a short walk outside to get some fresh air and clear his mind. What he got was the name and number of a potential new friend, one nearly just like him at that.

While Lance held an internal celebration, he let himself grin broadly. He really did choose the right day to go out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [For Chp. 1] Yup, I told you it was really short. Not my ideal length for a chapter but, I couldn't think of a way to extend it without making it awkward? And I just wanted it to be plot set up as well soooo yeah!  
> If you want, please check out my tumblrs, especially if you have any questions about the world that the characters live in for this au! Soulmate au worlds can be pretty confusing, so if you want to better understand how the Strings of Fate and stuff works, just send in an ask to either of my blogs!  
> Main: lucid--dreamer  
> Vld/klance side: space--ranger--partners  
>    
> [Also, I wanted to acknowledge that yes, I have another fic called Serenade that I haven't updated in a long time. It's really because I got stuck in a writer's block for the particular chapter I've been trying to work on. I'm currently debating re-writing an entire section of it, which honestly shouldn't take a long time, but this is why I've not updated it recently. Thank you for your understanding and patience!]


	2. Drink Orgasms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More characters are introduced, and Hunk and Lance visit a remodeled Altea Café, and a certain someone just so happens to work there...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEAH OKAY I KNOW I LITERALLY JUST PUBLISHED THE FIRST CHAPTER YESTERDAY BUT THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE ON APRIL BREAK WITH NOTHING TO DO
> 
> (Yes, I sat in bed the whole day typing this up. I'm lazy alright?)
> 
> So anyways, here have the second chapter! Quite a bit actually happens in this one, aaaaand it's also much longer! Hooray!

    “Huuuuuuunk, you don’t understand!” Lance whined as he let his body flop onto the old couch, letting small specks of dust fly up around him, causing him to sneeze.

    “What don’t I understand? You met this guy named Keith, who’s apparently really attractive, and you got his number. Plus, he doesn’t have a soulmate, just like you. I don’t really know what I’m missing here,” Hunk remarked, tossing the pancakes he was cooking into the air, landing back into the pan with a satisfying sizzle.

    “Well, you forgot the fact that he’s also an artist, but that’s not the important part,” Lance flipped over onto his stomach as an attempt to better face his friend in the kitchen, “You don’t get how BIG this is Hunk! We’ve never known anyone besides me who doesn’t have a soulmate, and now here he is with a Broken String!”

    “Lance, aren’t you way too happy about this? The poor guy has a Broken String, meaning he lost his soulmate somehow, yet here you are celebrating it. I don’t really think it’s very nice of you to act like this,” the boft man pouted as he shut off the flame of the stove, carefully placing the fluffy pancakes on a large serving plate.

    Lance sniffed the air, appreciating the aroma before waving Hunk off, “Trust me, I wouldn’t be acting like this if I didn’t know that it was wrong. Keith told me himself that he didn’t like it when people pitied him about it, and that he’s always remembered having a Broken String so it’s no big deal.”

    He stood from his lazy position on the couch to walk over to the nook where Hunk was setting up their brunch for the day, promptly taking his usual seat tucked in the corner. Hunk pursed his lips and placed a plate of small pancakes, now covered with syrup, with pieces of bacon beside them, in front of Lance as he considered this new information.

    “It still doesn’t sit right with me. I’m happy that you’ve found someone you can relate to, but maybe tone down your excitement, okay buddy? Despite saying that, it must be rough for him to close his eyes and see a String that doesn’t lead anywhere.”

    Lance hummed in agreement, thinking to himself that it probably didn’t feel as lonely as closing your eyes and seeing nothing but black, “Alright. I’ll listen to you Hunk.”

    The big man grinned happily as he took his own seat beside Lance, “Well, I usually am the voice of reason. Also, that’s what friends are for, right? To help each other and point things out for the other person?”

    Lance laughed, picking up a fork situated next to his plate, “Yeah, you’re right bud. Thanks.”

    “When am I not right? And no problem, dude.”

    “Well I mean, you were wrong when you thought that Shay was only your platonic soulmate,” Lance snickered.

    “Hey, we are _not_ going there!” Hunk flushed.

    “Okay, okay. Sorryyyy,” Lance sing-songed, eating a mouthful of food while his best friend sputtered embarrassedly. These were his favorite sort of moments- hanging out with his friend and talking about the interesting things happening around them, joking about other things.

    As the two ate and teased each other, Lance found his mind wandering back to Keith. What should he text him later? When would they meet up again? He smiled to himself, Hunk still making up excuses about Shay, and allowed his mind to make up scenarios he knew wouldn’t happen.

* * *

 

    “I’m back, Shiro.”

    “Oh, welcome back Keith,” the man called from the back room of the café, “How was your break outside?”

    Keith shrugged, realizing after that Shiro couldn’t have seen him, and placed his belongings on an empty table, making his way to the locker room in order to change into his uniform, “It was fine. It’s pretty warm out today, and the park wasn’t that crowded. Well, it is still morning, so.”

    “That sounds nice. Did you get to sketch something you liked today?”

    “Yeah, the lake in the park. The sun was out, so the lighting was nice. The trees finally have buds too,” Keith walked out of the locker room and into the back room to properly greet Shiro and grab his apron.

    The muscular man was busy fixing the tea brewer, and turned only his head to nod at Keith, who was tying the apron behind his back, “Sounds like it’s a good day to be outside. Sorry you had to come in today; Allura is coming in late and Coran won’t be available until Tuesday.

“As soon as Allura gets here, you can leave if you’d like, or you can stay to help brew the lattes. You’re still the best one out of all of us when it comes to fixing up lattes, especially the green tea ones. Ours don’t exactly compare, and our customers can taste the differences easily.”

    Keith rolled his eyes and chuckled, exiting the back room and picking up his belongings from the front of the shop to flip through his sketchpad to the new drawing in order to show it off to Shiro.

    Shiro stopped his work in order to properly look at the sketch, raising his eyebrows in fascination, “That’s some detail right there. You really got the light reflecting off the water perfectly. Nice job, Keith.”

    He felt his pride soar at the genuine compliment from his half-brother. Keith shut his sketchpad gently and placed it on a high shelf where the rest of his sketching materials were stored. He smiled as he tightened his ponytail, “Thanks, Shiro. And about the ‘leaving earlier’ thing, I think I’ll stay for today. Don’t have anything to do anyways.”

    “Alright then, just be sure to inform Allura when she gets here so she can take over the register. You’ll be in charge of the drinks and bringing out any of the orders, okay?”

    “Yeah, got it.”

    “Oh, and since Coran isn’t in, we’re probably going to run out of some sweets. If we do before Allura gets here, place signs where their displays are so customers know they’re not available.”

    “Sure, I got it. Oh, and also, do you want me to put up the sign on the door asking for workers with experience with making sweets?” Keith asked approaching the front of the shop, looking out the windows to make sure no one was already waiting to get their morning beverages.

    “Yeah, if you know where it is. We can’t have Coran be the only one making those sweets, especially since we’ve started getting busier and he can’t come in very often. It’d be nice to add more to the sweets menu as well, but I don’t get why you don’t want to add your crepe cakes or cookies to the menu either?”

    “Shiro, you know I don’t make sweets that often anyway. It’s a bit of a pain to make so many at one time. I also don’t feel confident enough to display them as regular menu items- maybe for special occasions, like holidays or whatever. Hell, even a secret menu item! Just not… just not a regular menu item,” Keith sighed, knowing that Shiro was probably feeling guilty for asking the question, “Don’t worry about it, Shiro. I just don’t feel confident enough to share them yet, is all.”

    Keith heard Shiro _hmpf_ loudly in response, and decided to flip the sign on the door from closed to open, calling back to his half-brother to tell him he opened the café.

    He made his way behind the register and waited for the first customers to enter, sighing when he let his mind travel back to the attractive, blue-eyed boy who had approached him earlier in the park. Keith didn’t understand why Lance would possibly want to engage in a conversation with him, but he assumed it was alright, considering that he gained a new friend in the awkward exchange.

    But, Keith definitely knew that he didn’t want to tell Shiro about Lance anytime soon, despite knowing full well that he’d receive an earful from him once he finally did explain who Lance was to him. Keith wanted to keep it a little private and personal, considering the fact that Lance was technically his first friend who wasn’t related to him, or an employee at Altea Café.

    Keith perked up at the familiar jingle of the bell of the front door as it opened, and straightened himself out to greet the incoming customer with a slight smile, “Welcome to Altea Café. What would you like today?”

* * *

 

    “ _Heeeeeeeeey Piiiiiiiidge!!!_ ” Lance yelled as he (literally) kicked open the Olkari Bookstore, startling the short girl who yelped in response, glasses sitting askew on her face.

    “Lance! Don’t just barge into the bookstore like that; I already told you that my dad is going to make you pay for door repairs the next time you break it!” Pidge pushed her glasses back up the ridge of her nose, annoyed.

    “Who says I’m going to break the front door again?” Lance snickered as Hunk followed in behind him, muttering apologies beneath his breath.

    Pidge merely rolled her eyes in response, continuing where she left off in her book on Astrophysics, “Yeah, whatever you say. Hey, Hunk.”

    “Hey, Pidge. We were just wondering if Allura dropped by here yet. Apparently she borrowed something from Lance, and she told us that she would meet us here to drop it off,” Hunk explaining, leaning on the counter Pidge sat at while Lance looked around at the bookshelves.

    “No, haven’t seen her yet today. She might be dropping in shortly though, since she told me ahead of time that you guys would be coming in around this time.”

    “Alright, cool.”

    “Hey Pidge, is Matt in today?” Lance called from behind a bookshelf, reaching up to grab a book sitting on top of it.

    “Yeah, he is. Not at this moment though, because he had to go pick up the drinks we just ordered from Altea Café. Surprised you guys haven’t been there yet after they remodeled, especially since Shiro and Allura work there,” Pidge inquired, looking up from her book to raise an eyebrow at Lance, who had come out from behind the bookshelf and was now skimming through the contents of the book he’d picked up.

    “Hunk and I never really found the time to go visit them during work, and we don’t really want to bother them with how busy they’ve apparently been. We might go with Allura today though, and just order something to try their updated menu out. Have any recommendations?” Lance wiggled his eyebrows, something Pidge groaned at before answering.

    “You should definitely try out one of their new tea lattes. I usually get a chai tea latte, and Matt gets earl grey tea lattes. But I think you’d probably like the matcha green tea latte though, Lance. You can get it sweetened or flavored if you wanted, since I know you like the overly sweet stuff,” she remarked, and snorted when Lance brought a hand to his chest to dramatically gasp.

    “How dare you mock my taste buds like that! The things I like aren’t overly sweet; they’re just right, like the Goldilocks story,” he huffed.

    “Lance, I bake for you all the time. I’m honestly amazed at your sugar intake at this point,” Hunk teased, causing Lance to cross his arms and pout.

    “Whatever, you guys are just meanies,” he said in a childish voice, only making his two friends laugh.

    “Oh, you’re here already!” A new voice interrupted the laughter, and the trio all turned their heads to greet the woman at the door.

    “Allura!”

    “That’d be me,” she giggled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear elegantly, “How have you been Hunk? It’s been a while!”

    The man beamed, “I’ve been pretty good! Came up with a new mug cake recipe if you want to try it out; you like blueberries, right?”

    Allura’s eyes lit up, “Of course I do! I’d love to try it sometime, Hunk. Just give me a call if you make it again anytime soon, alright?”

    Hunk nodded happily, grinning so brightly that he could rival the sun.

    “Hey Allura, I found that book you wanted to read! About the girl who found a secret garden that belonged to a grim creature and fell in love with him?” Pidge asked, rummaging through other books she kept underneath the counter in search of the book.

    “Oh, yes! That’s the one, but I forgot its name. You’ve found it?”

    Pidge reappeared from under the counter, holding up the old hardcover book with a smile, “Yup! It was in the back corner of the store, so it might have that old book smell to it.”

    Allura took the book and examined it before holding it close to her chest, “It’s perfectly fine. Thank you, Pidge!”

    Pidge rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, looking obviously satisfied with herself, “No problem, Allura.”

    The gorgeous lady turned to face Lance, who was patiently waiting his turn to be spoken to, “Hello, Lance.”

    “Hello, Princess! How are you this lovely day?” Lance smirked, aiming finger guns her way.

    She rolled her eyes and giggled in response, covering her mouth with one hand, “I’m fine Lance, thank you for asking. Here,” she opened up the large purse she was carrying with her and fished out a small bottle of blue, holographic nail polish, handing it to Lance, “Thank you for letting me try it out! I’d never worn holographic nail polish before, and you owned such a pretty color, I just had to ask if I could use it!”

    “It’s fine, ‘Llura. I’ve got other colors at home if you ever want to try any more of them out- just hit me up and we can hang out!”

    Allura smiled and held out a hand to show off her nails, letting Lance and the others have a better look at them, “I’ll take you up with that offer then. Maybe you can fix my hair, just like old times!”

    Lance simply nodded and put the nail polish in his pocket, patting it softly to confirm it was there.

    “Hey ‘Llura, can Hunk and I come with you to Altea Café today? We’ve never visited after you guys remodeled it, and we heard from Pidge that your tea lattes are pretty good.”

    Allura tapped her chin as if to contemplate before answering, “Well, we wouldn’t be able to talk since I’d be working, but I’m sure Shiro would like to see you again. Also,” she turned to Hunk, “If you’re still searching for work, we’re looking to hire someone with experience making sweets. That is, if you’re interested?”

    Hunk immediately nodded excitedly, “Yeah! That’d be really nice if I could apply, and it’d be easy to fit in since I know all of you guys on the staff.”

    “Well,” Allura looked away nervously, “I’m not sure if you’ve met everyone on the staff. After we remodeled, Shiro had convinced his younger half-brother to join since he’s had experience in a cafe before. The new tea lattes are mainly made by him, except for the days he doesn’t come in for work.”

    “Wait, Shiro has a half-brother?” Lance asked, surprised, “Why have I never known that?!”

    “Well, he does. They share the same father, but have different mothers. Shiro’s birth mother passed away when he turned four. After a year his father met and married his half-brother’s mother, having him when Shiro was eight. She also passed away after three years, however. Now it’s a household of all men,” Allura shook her head, “I visit sometimes, but they’re quite a rowdy bunch, mainly under their father’s influence. He’s a good man, though.”

    Lance hummed, letting his mind imagine what Shiro’s half-brother could look like. He frowned when all that popped up was a shorter and skinnier version of Shiro.

    “Well! We should get going, that is, if you and Hunk still wish to join me in going to Altea Café. Will you be coming with us Pidge?” Allura asked, tilting her head slightly.

    Pidge shook her head, “Nah. Matt already went to pick us up some drinks so we can focus on our own jobs here.”

    A bell chimed as Matt waltzed in, as if on cue, holding a drink tray and a plastic bag holding a small box of sweets.

    Pidge snickered, “Speaking of the devil.”

    “Wait, what’d I miss?” Matt asked innocently, setting down what he was holding on the counter next to Pidge’s book.

    Lance hummed the song from Hamilton under his breath before answering his other friend seriously, “Nothing too much. Hunk and I were just about to head out with Allura to Altea Café. You were gone for quite some time though- did you enjoy talking with your soooooooooulmate?” he teased, waggling his eyebrows, much to Matt’s embarrassment.

    “Lance! Listen, Shiro’s just my platonic soulmate!” he cried, pink tinting the tips of his ears.

    “Riiiiight. Hunk used to say the same thing, but look at where he and Shay ended up,” Lance snickered, grinning evilly as he watched the chaos unfurl. That is, if you count Hunk and Matt both freaking out and stumbling over their words and feet, knocking over Pidge’s book and making her lose her page, as chaos. (In Lance’s defense, an angry Pidge is terrifying and chaotic enough.)

    It took Allura to break up the mess, getting in the middle of the three freaking out and scolding Lance about being childish, though he only shrugged. As Allura, Hunk, and Lance left the bookstore, waving at Matt and Pidge, Lance swung his arms excitedly. He couldn’t wait to see the remodeled café, and he was incredibly interested in meeting Shiro’s half-brother.

    He hummed to himself as he followed behind Allura and Hunk, wondering how his day was going so well.

* * *

 

    “Allura?’

    “Hmm?”

    “This place looks _amazing_!” Lance exclaimed, taking in the front entrance of the café. It definitely looked newer and more modern, with dark cherry wood furniture and walls, complemented by matcha green seat cushions on the chairs, with matching colored table cloths with light pink flower designs scattered on them. Even the paintings hung up on the walls were done with similar shades of green and pink, and Lance marveled at each of them.

    “I’m glad you think it looks nice, Lance. I’ll be right back; I have to inform Shiro that I’m here so I can take over the register,” Allura waved to the boys, disappearing to the back room, giving Hunk and Lance time to look up at the menu situated above the unattended counter, as well as the sweets display.

    “Aw man, look at these meringues! Their peaks are so pointy and perfect,” Hunk admired, jabbing a finger at the glass, “And look at the macarons and macaroons! They know the difference between the two! I commend Coran; he outdid himself with all the new items.”

    Lance nodded in agreement, “Yeah, they look really good. Too bad he’s not in today; he usually mans the register instead of Allura. But I wonder why no one is standing here, despite them being open? Maybe it was only Shiro who was in earlier?”

    Allura suddenly hurried back into the main part of the café, walking behind the counter, tying her hair up into a bun. She had changed into their uniform: a sakura pink polo shirt paired with dark brown dress pants, and a matching dark chocolate apron with the words _Altea Café_ embroidered in the same matcha green on its pocket.

    “Woah, you even got new uniforms? It’s like the café had a glow-up,” Lance laughed.

    Allura huffed in reply, though a smile tugged at her lips, “Alright, you should’ve had enough time to look over the menu. What would you boys like today?”

    Lance tapped his bottom lip as he looked back up at the menu, squinting to read, “Um, I think I’ll go with a vanilla green tea latte? And melon bread as well.”

    “Just one piece of melon bread?”

    “Yup.”

    “What size drink?”

    “What sizes do you have?”

    “Medium or Large?”

    Lance stifled a laugh, “That’s it?”

    Allura placed her hands on her hip, “That’s it.”

    “No small?”

    “No small.”

    Lance wheezed before composing himself, “Alright, I’ll go with a Large. Thanks Allura.”

    “It’s just my job, Lance,” she smiled.

    Lance nudged Hunk, getting his attention back from the sweets display, “What about you big guy? Whatcha getting?”

    “Oh, uh, I’ll get a Large vanilla chai tea and a box of macarons. Please and thank you,” Hunk finished politely, earning a chuckle from Allura.

    “What box size, Hunk?”

    He blinked, “You have box sizes now?”

    Allura pulled out two different box sizes from behind the counter, “One can fit six macarons, the other fits a dozen.”

    “Well, I think I’d like to bring some of them home so, I’ll get the dozen.”

    “Roger that! Your combined total comes to $15.79,” Allura rang up.

    “I’ve got it Hunk,” Lance pulled out his wallet, fishing out a twenty, “Keep the change.”

    Allura took the bill hesitantly, “Are you sure about that Lance? While I appreciate tips, that’s a little over four dollars?”

    Lance waved a hand, “It’s fine. Finished a commission last week. Got paid over a hundred bucks.”

    Allura’s eyes widened in surprise, “O-over a hundred? For a commission?”

    “They had quite a, uh,” he looked away embarrassedly, “Large request. Took nearly three weeks to finish it, despite it being digital. They offered to pay that price, and they knew that they were asking for an incredibly detailed drawing too so,” he shrugged, “No biggie. Other artists ask for more with their commissions too. Then again, they’re not as sturdy as I am financial wise. I’m also earning money whenever someone buys from my store online.”

    “It’s still quite a number to me, Lance. Oh, there are others coming in now, so you can either choose a table to sit at or wait over there for your orders,” Allura smiled as the two made their way to the table closest to the pick-up station, then she faced the incoming customers to greet them.

    “Man, this place really looks completely different from how it used to. Well, go figure since they remodeled it, but still,” Lance took another look around the café as he and Hunk sat down, “It’s really nice.”

    “I wonder where Shiro’s half-brother is though. Didn’t Allura say he also worked here now?” Hunk questioned, propping his elbows on the table.

    “Yeah, but she also said he’s the one making the tea lattes. He’s probably in the back, fixing the drinks up. It’s sort of weird how they didn’t just keep the bar where the counter and register is. Probably because of their new sweets display, but still, it’s totally different from the other cafes we’ve been to.”

    As the two discussed the new appearance of the café, a voice called out from the counter, “Hunk and… Lance?”

    Lance froze at the sound of the voice… It was too familiar, but it couldn’t have been _him_ , because that would be way too cliché, like in those cheesy movies or telenovelas. No, this person just so happened to have a very similar voice to Keith’s, but it couldn’t be him specifically-

    “Lance? Uh, you’re the same Lance from earlier, right?”

    Well shit.

    Lance stood from his seat and spun around to face Keith, a nervous smile plastered on his face, “Hey Ponytail. What’s up?”

    His nervousness faded away when he saw Keith become flustered at the nickname, and he walked over to properly greet him.

    “P-Ponytail? Why Ponytail….” Keith muttered to himself, a hand scrunching his ponytail behind him.

    “I think it’s a cute nickname, that’s why,” Lance shrugged, much to Keith’s astonishment.

    “Cute?! Lance, please don’t use that nickname anymore,” Keith pleaded, shoving the drinks closer to the tan boy.

    “Aw, but I like it! Besides, it’s probably better than any other nickname I could give you with your hair down. You have long hair though; are you hiding a mullet with that ponytail?” Lance snickered as Keith squeaked in exasperation.

    “Lance!”

    “Wait, who’s this?” Hunk had walked up behind Lance, placing a large hand on his shoulder.

    Lance grinned and tilted his head towards the embarrassed boy, “This is Keith. He’s the one I met earlier today in the park who has a Broken String!”

    Keith passed Hunk his drink while avoiding eye contact, “Nice to meet you…”

    Hunk took his drink and smiled brightly, “Nice to meet you too, Keith. Lance couldn’t stop talking about you earlier, but it’s nice to have a face to match his description of you.”

    Keith startled, looking up at Hunk, “Wh-what?”

    Lance reacted more intensely, flapping his arms in a panicked manner, “Y-yeah, Hunk! What do you mean b-by that?!”

    He looked back over at Keith who was twirling a strand of hair around his finger bashfully, twinges of pink dusting his cheeks and ears. _Shiiiiiiit_ he was really cute.

    Hunk merely laughed, slapping his best friend on the back with enough force to make him hunch over the counter, even closer to the raven-haired artist, and apparently barista as well.

    “Please don’t think too much of what Hunk just said. Sometimes he says things he doesn’t exactly understand,” He whispered loud enough for the subject of the matter to hear, and he gasped dramatically.

    “Look who’s talking, Lance.”

    “See what I mean? Crazy,” Lance leaned back away from Keith (which was better for his heart), and promptly picked up his drink that was still sitting on the counter. He saluted Keith, who waved back with a gentle smile on his face, before continuing to work on the next orders of beverages.

    Lance took a quick glance at Allura, whom he knew listened in on the whole discussion, though she didn’t grace him with a remark. Instead, she simply smirked at him, making Lance groan as he sat down in his seat.

    “Hunk, why’d you have to play me like that?”

    “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Hunk joked, taking a sip of his tea, his eyes immediately widening. “Lance, oh my gosh you have to try your drink, like now.”

    Lance raised a brow before bringing his drink to his lips, taking a quick sip of his latte. As soon as the drink reached his taste buds, he physically shivered and moaned into the lid of his cup from the ecstasy he got from it.

    “Hunk, holy _shit_ ,” He breathed, taking another swing from the cup, making another noise as he let the taste cover his tongue. “Dude, you’ve made me amazing things in the past, but this drink is giving me an orgasm on par with the food orgasms your brownies give me.”

    “Y’know, if this were any other cafe, I think I would’ve actually felt offense by that, but I can wholeheartedly agree that these drinks can rival my baking,” Hunk hummed.

    Lance stood in his seat, spun to face Allura who looked back at him with a confused expression. “What do you want, Lance?”

    He pointed to the entrance of the back room, “I’d like to give compliments to the barista myself.”

    After a few beats of silence, Allura sighed and waved a hand, signaling Lance that he could sneak behind.

    As soon as Lance ducked through the curtains, he was greeted with different aromas from different types of teas and sweets. He inhaled deeply, then walked right up behind Keith tapping him on the shoulder, “Hey Ponytail!”

    Startled, the boy spun around too quickly, losing his balance and catching himself on the countertop he was brewing on, “Shit! Lance, what the hell are you doing back here?!”

    “‘Llura said I could personally give my compliments, as well as Hunk’s to the barista. And that’s what I’m about to do,” Lance held his drink in front of Keith’s face, “Thank you for this wonderful creation that successfully rivals Hunk’s baking and gives me drink orgasms.”

    “...What the hell, Lance?” Keith snorted, quickly bringing a hand up to cover his mouth as he laughed hysterically, “‘Drink orgasms’? Really? I can’t believe you.”

    “Hey, Hunk and I know good when we taste it, and this is fucking _Heaven_.”

    “Alright, I’ll take your word for it. But get out of here before Shiro comes in and scolds me for getting distracted, then lectures you for barging in here,” Keith gently pushed Lance’s chest away from him, but not before Shiro just happened to enter.

    “Too late for that little brother. What are you doing in the back room, Lance?” He crossed his arms, but he wore a smile on his face, a dead give away that he wasn’t actually mad, but amused.

    “Allura,” the two younger boys said in unison.

    “Alright fine. You had your fun back here, now get back to Hunk before he gets too lonely,” Shiro patted Lance’s shoulder, turning him to face the exit.

    “I’m going, I’m going! Wanna say hi to him though?” Lance called from the exit way, one foot outside already.

    “Just relay a message to him. Tell him I said hi, and if he’s interested in applying for a job here, I’ll hire him instantly.”

    “Gotcha!” And with that, Lance re-entered the main room of the café, sliding back into his previous seat.

    “So, did you thank him?” Hunk asked.

    “Yup! For the both of us. Oh also,” Lance took one more drawn out swig from his drink before continuing, “Shiro said that if you were to apply here, he’d hire you immediately.”

    At that, Hunk perked up that same way a dog would when presented with a treat, “He did?”

    Lance nodded, “Somewhere along those lines.”

    Hunk stood hastily, apologizing to Lance and headed straight into the back room without asking for Allura’s permission (although Lance already knew Allura couldn’t say no to him).

    Just as Lance took another sip of his latte, Hunk came rushing back out of the back room, holding a pen and paper, signing it frantically once he got to their table, then rushed back into the back room without sparing Lance a glance.

Lance assumed he took the job and smiled to himself. His day couldn’t have started off any better than this.

* * *

 

_[7:23 p.m. Sunday]_

**Lance:**

Heyyy Ponytail

**Pretty Ponytail Boy:**

Really Lance? Again?

**Lance:**

Yup

**Pretty Ponytail Boy:**

I’m guessing you’re not going to stop calling me that

**Lance:**

Nope

**Pretty Ponytail Boy:**

Damnit

 

    Lance huffed out a laugh, curling up tighter in his bed. He hadn’t expected an immediate reply from Keith, but it certainly made him happy that he responded as quickly as he did.

 

**Lance:**

Soooo whatcha doin’?

**Pretty Ponytail Boy:**

Did you just

Reference Isabella from Phineas and Ferb?

**Lance:**

And if I did?

**Pretty Ponytail Boy:**

Well

I wouldn’t especially mind it

I used to watch it all the time so

Vanessa was my favorite character

**Lance:**

Should’ve figured

I’m pretty sure you both have the same fashion taste

**Pretty Ponytail Boy:**

…

I’m not even going to bother arguing

Oh, and I wanted to say thanks

For earlier

**Lance:**

?

Specify Ponytail

**Pretty Ponytail Boy:**

Honestly?

For like everything

For talking to me in the park, getting my number, thanking me for the latte (even though that was a bit extreme with the ‘drink orgasm’ thing), and really just

Taking the chance to somehow become my friend?

Because I’ve never been great at making them so it kind of means a lot

 

    Lance felt his cheeks heating up, and he brought his knees all the way up to his chest, curling into a little ball in the middle of his sheets. ‘Friend’ huh? He grinned goofily, clutching his phone even tighter in his hands as he rolled around in his bed, similarly to a cheesy teenage girl getting overly excited about something their crush said or did.

 

**Lance:**

Awww Ponytail

I’m flattered and honored to be your friend

Now you’ve gotta put up with me and my antics >;3

**Pretty Ponytail Boy:**

Oh no

Whatever shall I do?

**Lance:**

Haha

Verrrry funny Keith

**Pretty Ponytail Boy:**

Yeah I’m pretty hilarious

(Heavy sarcasm)

Shoot, sorry Lance I’ve gotta go

Shiro and dad’s calling me down for “family bonding time”

I’m a 21 year old man, why do we still have family bonding time?

**Lance:**

Ooooo family bonding time?

You don’t wanna miss that Keithy boy

Go! Run now! Shoo shoo Ponytail!

**Pretty Ponytail Boy:**

‘Keithy boy’?

Yeah yeah I’m going

Talk to you tomorrow Lance

Good night~

  **Lance:**

Niiiiiighties Keith

 

    As Lance stared at the last text Keith sent, he felt his heart flutter. He shut off his phone and let his arm drop onto his bed, bouncing at the impact.

    Lance didn’t think love at first meetings could ever be a thing for him, as he was Stringless. He’d heard the stories from his parents, grandparents, and older siblings, but he’d never pictured it happening to him- falling in love within a day that is. Well, if he even was in love.

    Lance tossed in his bed, grabbing one of his pillows and hugging it close to his chest. He’d never truly been in love with anyone before, or rather, he never allowed himself to get to interested in anyone, simply because they already had a soulmate or soulmates destined for them. And Lance wasn’t one of them.

    But here Keith was, suddenly popping into his life out of nowhere, with a Broken String and no soulmate! It was like Fate was actually giving him a chance, and Lance squeezed his eyes closed tightly, thanking it.

    When Lance re-opened his eyes, he stared intently at his ceiling, decorated with the same glow in the dark stars his old room back home was. After moving out to this town, his room seemed too unfamiliar, so he decided to make it feel as familiar as possible, putting effort into finding the glow in the dark stars online and ordering them.

    Lance bit his bottom lip, wishing on the glow in the dark stars:

**_Please, please let me get closer to Keith. Please, please make him feel more familiar to me the longer we know each other. Please don’t make him distant. Please let him stay here._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, this is what I meant by longer. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed the second chapter! Please don't expect the third chapter to come out just as fast as this one did; I just had a lot of time (literally the whole day) to write this all, sooo yeah!
> 
> Also, if you really paid attention, I used the word 'boft' un-ironically to describe Hunk~
> 
> Tumblr blogs:  
> Main: [lucid--dreamer](http://lucid--dreamer.tumblr.com/)  
> Vld/klance side: [space--ranger--partners](http://space--ranger--partners.tumblr.com/)


	3. Blue Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith really likes Lance's glasses, and Matt is a great friend who should honestly look into being a therapist or relationship counselor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah hey so uh  
> Sorry for the late update? I tried to get this out sooner, but stuff in life came up. Also, finals are already creeping up on me, so I'll be basically dying in the upcoming weeks. Welp.
> 
> But here it is, chapter three! This was 21 pages in my program so uh yeah  
> I'm also going to be posting a new fic (yes another) also for klance, but it's... basically the complete opposite of this fic.  
> Like, I'm just self projecting my negativity in it, so there's a lot of stuff in it that's really depressing and shtuff.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you like this chapter! I like some areas better than others, but meh, I think it's alright. Enjoy!

_[6:48 a.m. Wednesday]_

 

**Shiro (You’re not my dad):**

Morning Keith

Just reminding you that you don’t have to come into work today since Coran is back, and you filled in on a day when you don’t normally work

I got to the Cafe earlier than usual to help Coran set up, so go ahead and sleep in for today. Consider it a day off! Get yourself some new charcoal pencils and paintbrushes at Ocean Arts if you want.

See you later little brother

**Keith:**

Thanks for waking me up Shiro (sarcasm)

But thanks for the day off I guess

Just don’t complain to me later about the fact that I can actually visit Matt at the bookstore today and you can’t

**Shiro (You’re not my dad):**

Damn it Keith

Tell him I said hi if you see him

**Keith:**

What if I don’t?

**Shiro (You’re not my dad):**

Keith

**Keith:**

Ugh please don’t

I can literally hear your dad voice

**Shiro (You’re not my dad):**

Good

Then I get my point across?

**Keith:**

Yeah sure whatever

**Shiro (You’re not my dad):**

Glad to see that you care about your older brother

**Keith:**

Don’t push it Shiro

**Shiro (You’re not my dad):**

Haha, alright

Going now

Bye Keith

**Keith:**

Yeah

Bye Shiro

 

    Keith groaned, shutting his phone off and placing back on his nightstand. He flopped back onto his bed, nuzzling his nose into his pillow and pulling the covers over his head.

    He sort of didn’t want a day off. Sure, it meant a break for him, and he’d been sleep deprived ever since he’d met Lance. That boy really didn’t know how to sleep, and the two had texted until 3:30 in the morning for the past couple of days. In a sense, Keith was happy that he and Lance clicked together so easily upon their first meeting, and through their texts they found out that they had a mutual friend group. It was a wonder why they’d never met before.

    However, a day off meant not knowing how to occupy his time. Keith hadn’t had a full day off in a long time, although it was his own choice to go into work every weekday, every week. Keith never knew what to do when there was no one to hang out with, and he usually ended up spending his days off conversing with Matt and occasionally Pidge, whenever she wasn’t in classes, at the Olkari Bookstore anyway.

    He decided a trip to Ocean Arts was a good idea. But not before getting a few more hours of sleep.

 

* * *

 

    “Mister Lance?”

    “Hmm? What’s up squirt?” Lance made his way over to the little boy who had called for his attention, wiping his hands on his apron despite not having much paint staining them. He crouched down next to the boy, so that he was at eye-level with him.

    “I painted all over the canvas, but I don’t know what’s next?” the boy pouted, looking to Lance with a confused expression.

    Lance smiled, and stood to properly hover over the kid, instructing him as to what to do, “Here, now all you have to do is find the edges of the tape we put on the canvas earlier, and take each strip off slowly so they don’t take any of the canvas with them.” He stifled a laugh when the child looked more confused than before, “Let me show you how to do it first, then.”

    After showing an example to the boy, Lance grinned and walked back around the small, makeshift art classroom. His students were busy painting away, mixing different colors to create new ones.

    This was a regular weekday morning at Ocean Arts for Lance. Wake up at 7 o’clock, eat breakfast, do his daily morning routine, then head to work at 7:50. Set up the store for Azzurra, greet her when she comes in, then clean the art classroom. Open the store at 8:45, then greet the students when their parents drop them off at nine. Show the kids a new art project to do in class, then say goodbye to them when their parents pick them up at 10:30. Then, take over for Azzurra at the register so she can do her own business around the store.

    Lance never seemed to grow tired of this routine. Weekday mornings always felt somewhat warm and homelike to him. It didn’t matter the weather, as Azzurra always brightened up the store with her smile and energy. In a sense, she reminded Lance of his own mother (though when he told Azzurra that, she jokingly hit him on the back, saying something along the lines of, “I’m not old enough to be your mother, brat”).

    Time rolled by quicker than he imagined, and suddenly Lance was already bidding farewell to the kids, all excitedly showing off their still-wet art projects to their parents, who were worried about the stains of paint on their clothes. Lance hummed to himself as he closed the front door of the store, promptly making his way over to the counter where Azzurra was fiddling with her necklace, a ruby wedding ring hanging from it.

    “Isn’t Akane coming back tonight?” Lance asked, leaning over the counter. Azzurra looked at him with a soft smile, her eyebrows forming the slightest crease when they arched upward with a sense of longing.

    “She is. She told me that she got really pretty shots of the Falls, and she can’t wait to show them to me,” the Italian woman rested her head in the palm of her hand, sighing out a bit, “Really, I just can’t wait to see her again.”

    Lance breathed out a laugh, “She has been gone for quite a while. Half a month right?”

    Azzurra nodded.

    “Well, didn’t you two FaceTime basically every night?”

    Another nod, “But it’s not the same as having her right in front of me. Once you get married, young man, you’ll understand it better. Honestly speaking, you might already understand it once you find yourself a date, judging by your personality.”

    Lance’s smile tightened, “ _If_ I find myself a date.”

    Azzurra frowned, “Lance, just because you’re Stringless doesn’t mean all hope of finding love is lost. There are people who completely disregard their Strings, and you might meet someone who’s Stringless like you are!”

    Lance brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck, “About that… there _is_ someone I met?”

    He watched as Azzurra’s expression slowly shifted from concerned to intrigued. She slammed both of her hands on the counter, getting into Lance’s personal space to raise an eyebrow at him.

    He cleared his throat and leaned back a little, “Well, technically he has a Broken String, but, yeah… He doesn’t have a Soulmate either.”

    “Is that so?”

    “Yup.”

    Azzurra gave Lance a smug look, walking around the counter to pat him gently on the shoulder, “Oh, Lance. I hope you’ll get the D.”

    He flushed, rapidly spinning around to sputter denial at his boss’ retreating figure, heading into the backroom.

    As soon as she was out of sight, Lance crossed his arms, jutting his bottom lip out in a pout. He grumbled to himself how she was wrong about ‘getting the D’, reminding himself that he and Keith just started their strange friendship, and nothing was probably going to come from it.

    Lance stood in his place behind the counter, bending over to grab the small sketchpad and pencil he kept stored beneath it. He swiftly took his glasses out of his apron’s chest pocket, placing them gently on the bridge of his nose and giving them a little push to ensure that they would stay there.

    As he began to doodle, he hummed a small tune to himself, at ease. It was a good morning, and Azzurra’s misunderstanding wasn’t about to throw him off balance.

 

* * *

 

    Keith took in a deep breath, exhaling a long sigh of contentment through his nose. It was sunny out, but the light breeze kept it cool enough to wear a long, thin cardigan over his t-shirt. Despite the breeze, Keith had his hair up in another ponytail, held up messily, strands of hair left out of the fabric covered elastic.

    He held onto the sling of his messenger bag, avoiding meeting the eyes of the occasional other stranger walking in the opposite direction of him. Keith did his best to keep a neutral expression on his face, however, he was sort of excited to get new charcoal pencils, and even just to visit the art store in general.

    For some reason, Ocean Arts always had its own atmosphere to it. It was always comfortable and cozy, the lights a slightly tinted yellow giving it a warm and sunny feeling. Keith hadn’t visited since Akane went on her trip to Canada to get pictures of Niagara Falls, and he felt a bit guilty for not dropping by to talk with her wife, but it wasn’t like he didn’t want to. He was just busy with work and taking care of his cat. (Red was way too high maintenance, but Keith loved her, so he spoiled her rotten anyways.)

    As Keith rounded the corner, he spotted the unforgettable sign hanging on a rod jutting out from the building. He let himself smile a bit, staring at the words _‘Ocean Arts’_ carved prettily into the blue sign, right above a side profile of a cat walking. When Akane asked a friend of hers to carve the sign for the store, he was equally as confused as Keith was when she requested him to carve a cat beneath the words. Apparently, a stray kitten liked to ‘visit’ the store, always returning to it.

    Keith chuckled to himself quietly recalling the memory. It happened around the same time he adopted Red (admittedly named after the Japanese woman), however, since then, Keith had never seen the stray cat whenever he visited the art store. He wondered if the cat even ever returned after the sign was placed outside as he pushed the door open to enter the store.

    He stopped in the doorway.

    He had expected to see the enthusiastic Azzurra behind the counter, ready to greet him with a broad smile and wave, but he definitely didn’t expect to find a certain caramel skinned boy, distracted by his doodling and humming to himself, standing there instead. Upon that, Lance looked very different than he did the first time they’d met in the park.

    Lance’s chocolate hair was fluffier and curlier, little tufts sticking out in every which direction. Though slightly disheveled, his hair was cute. _Cute_ ? No, _definitely_ cute. Keith couldn’t deny it. Lance’s eyes were still their bright blue, seemingly drawing Keith in like an ocean’s waves drew back to the sea after reaching out on the sand, however they were enhanced by the glasses resting on his nose. Glasses. _Glasses_. What the fuck? They had squarish, navy frames, bringing out the brightness in Lance’s eyes even more.

    Keith felt his heart flutter mysteriously, and his breath caught in his throat. He wasn’t exactly sure why he froze up so terribly, but he knew that Lance had to be the cause of it. And speaking of the angel (because he definitely looks like one), he finally noticed the starstruck boy standing at the door.

    “Keith?” Lance’s enchanting voice caused him to flinch, eyes widening when he heard his name.

    “Uh, yeah,” Keith cringed at the awkwardness evident in his voice, “Yeah, it’s me. Hey, Lance. I uh, didn’t know you worked here?”

    Thankfully, Lance disregarded Keith’s awkward greeting, smiling as he slowly made his way over to the eager brunet, “Yup! Been working here ever since I moved into town, about three or so years ago? Around that time.”

    Keith blinked, “Three years?”

    Lance nodded.

    “I’ve been coming to Ocean Arts for art supplies for _over_ three years. How the hell haven’t I seen you here before?”

    Lance shrugged, “Well, it could be because of my work schedule? I work weekday mornings and into the beginning of the afternoon before my shift’s over.”

    “That probably explains it. I’ve never come on a weekday morning before, I don’t think. Only weekday afternoons and the weekend? When I worked at another cafe, I also worked early weekday mornings and well into the afternoon. Got overworked by that place, which is why I ended up working at Altea Cafe, well, with the help of my brother’s pestering.”

    Lance hummed, squishing his cheeks when he rested his head between his hands, “That’s interesting. Too bad we’ve never met before. We could’ve been friends earlier, Ponytail!”

    Keith felt his face flush at the nickname, “Yeah, that would’ve been nice.”

    His heart beat rapidly increased when Lance beamed at his response, obviously happy about it. “Hey, Ponytail? What’s your work schedule now?”

    “My work schedule? Oh,” Keith paused at the realization that Lance wanted to try and hang out more if their schedules worked out. It made him a little expectant and hopeful, “I still work weekday mornings, except for Mondays and Fridays, and I don’t work at all on the weekend. I usually work well into the afternoon too, until four. I only got a day off today for filling in for Coran on Sunday. What about you?”

    “I work every weekday morning, including Mondays and Fridays, but I get released way earlier on Thursdays. If you want, you could visit Ocean arts Mondays or Fridays, and I could drop by Altea Cafe Thursdays? Although, I might drop by at any given time to get another latte to be honest,” Lance laughed, a sound like ringing bells.

    “Sounds good,” Keith smiled back gently, shocked when he suddenly heard a familiar voice call out from the storage room.

    “ _Uffa_! Lance, can you believe that the blue acrylic paints haven’t shipped in yet-” Azzurra walked out of the back room, halting when she looked up to see Keith standing in front of the counter.

    “Keith?”

    “Hi, Azzurra,” he gave her a timid smile and wave as she hurried over to kiss both his cheeks.

    “Keith! It’s been a long time! How are you? How’s Red?” she asked excitedly, her energy radiating from her like the sun’s rays gracing the earth with its brightness.

    “I’m doing fine. Red’s still spoiled, but I guess that’s partially my fault. How have you been? Is Akane back?”

    Keith grimaced when he watched her smile fade to a pout when he mentioned her wife, “I’ve been okay I suppose. But it’s a bit lonely without Akane around. She’s not back yet, but she’s supposed to be later tonight.”

    “Azzurra has been sulking around lately, actually,” Lance interjected, “She was fiddling with her wedding ring this morning.”

    Keith chuckled when Azzurra promptly slapped the back of Lance’s head, shaking her head at him, “Like I said Lance. You won’t understand until you get yourself a date. Why don’t you try to court that boy you told me about who has a Broke-” she stopped mid sentence in realization. The woman looked over at Lance, who was bright red and waving his arms about animatedly, then over at Keith, who was also slowly putting two and two together.

    “Wait a second,” Azzurra said, still staring holes into Keith, “ _You_ have a… and you know Lance?”

    Keith slowly nodded, “We’re, um, friends now.” He was aware of his own blush on his cheeks, as he felt much hotter than he did earlier. He contemplated shedding his cardigan off.

    Azzurra blinked thrice, before spinning on her heel and making her way back into the storage room without saying another word. Keith and Lance looked at each other again shyly and embarrassed.

    Lance was the first to break the silence, “I’m so, so sorry about that! I told her I met someone with a Broken String, and I didn’t think she knew you, and she took it the wrong way since she knows I’m Stringless, and-” Keith held up a hand to quiet the rambling boy.

    “Lance, don’t worry about it. I don’t mind it.”

    “You don’t?”

    “I don’t.”

    Lance stayed silent, looking down at his feet, a twinge of blush still shading his cheeks, “Oh, okay.”

    Keith stared at the timid boy, entranced by him. In a sense, Keith didn’t understand what the weird tightness in his chest was, but if he compared it to how Shiro felt every time he was with Matt, it’d be pretty damn similar. It could even be the same thing. It probably was. Keith probably liked Lance. A little. Somehow.

    Despite them not knowing each other for a very long time at all, they had mutual friends, and it was easy to talk to Lance. Every conversation they’d had up to this point felt natural, and there was never a time Keith felt uncomfortable around Lance. In fact, he felt the complete opposite. Lance made him feel incredibly comfortable and _safe_? There was just something about him that was different, but in an insanely good way.

    If Keith did like Lance, he assumed it wouldn’t be an entirely bad thing. They both already had no Soulmates, and they clicked together naturally. But, Keith decided to give it sometime before deciding he actually liked Lance.

    “Hey, Keith?” he suddenly spoke up again, still not looking up from his feet.

    “Yeah?”

    “You said you had today off right?”

    “Yeah, I did. Why?”

    “Would you… wanna hang out after my shift’s over?” Lance finally looked up and made eye contact with Keith, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

    It was incredibly, insanely, _illegally_ cute. Who the _fuck_ gave him permission to be this cute?

    Keith swallowed harshly, his throat for some reason dry, “Y-yeah. Sure, we can hang out.”

    Lance immediately perked up, smiling contently like a cat when treated with catnip and a good cheek scratching. Keith smiled right back at him, and he could’ve sworn he heard a triumphant sound of victory come from the back room.

    He almost forgot to purchase new charcoal pencils, distracted by those blue eyes.

 

* * *

 

   “Well look who showed up today,” Matt deadpanned as Keith strolled through the door, the bell above it jingling softly.

    “Nice to see you too, Matt.”

    “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” he leaned back in his stool, letting his back hit the wall behind him, “So why are you here and not at work anyway?”

    Keith rolled his eyes, removing his messenger bag from around his shoulder and plopping down in the beanbag chair behind the high counter, “Shiro gave me a day off since I filled in for Coran on Sunday.”

    “That would make sense. But why _here_ again?”

    “Because it’s easy to bother you, and I can sketch in peace and silence. You’re also the next best thing to Pidge,” Keith took his sketchpad out of his bag and flipped through it to a new page.

    Matt cocked an eyebrow, huffing out a sarcastic laugh, “I feel sooo honored.”

    “You share her sass.”

    “Once again, flattered,” Matt yawned and stretched out his arms above his head, Keith cringing at the popping of his shoulders, “I still don’t understand why you’d want to come _here_ to hang out anyway. You don’t like staying at home, but isn’t there any other place for you to go instead of hanging ‘round here? Not that I’m complaining; your company is appreciated since I’m the only one here until Pidge gets back.”

    “I mean,” Keith burrowed deeper into the beanbag, “I do _now_. Ocean Arts, a few blocks down. I’m actually going to head back there around two or so.”

    “Why didn’t you stay there if you’re going back?”

    “Because I don’t think I’d be able to breathe,” Keith groaned, covering his face with his sketchpad. He knew his ears were already turning pink.

    Matt crossed his legs on the stool, spinning to face the lump of embarrassment, “Wait, not be able to breathe? Dude, are you okay? Asthma or something, or did they get a store pet you’re allergic to?”

    “One, I don’t have asthma. Two, I’m not allergic to any animals. Three, I don’t think I can tell you why yet,” Keith held up individual fingers as he counted, promptly dropping his arm after getting his point across.

    Matt sighed and turned back around to rest over the counter, “Alright, that’s fine. _Goooooooood_ , I’m really tired.”

    Keith sat comfortably in the beanbag, staring up at the white ceiling. He wondered if he could ask Matt a few questions about…

    “Hey Matt?”

    “Hmm?”

    “What’s it like to be romantic soulmates with Shiro?”

    Matt sputtered and nearly lost his balance on his stool, slamming his hands on the wall to center himself, “Where the hell did that come from?!”

    Keith shrugged as if it weren’t a big deal, “I’m just wondering. I’ve got a Broken String, remember? I don’t know what it’s like,” he waved his hand in front of him for emphasis.

    “Yeah, I get that. It’s just… that was really sudden. Besides, I’m not even sure we’re romantic soulmates,” Matt trailed off, the tension leaving his body. He let his cheek squish into the wall when he leaned onto it, whining a bit.

    “I’m pretty sure you are. Shiro and Allura are close, but they don’t flit around each other like you and Shiro do. Also, he’ll probably hate me for saying this,” Keith sat up a little more in the beanbag, “But he talks about you all the time. It’s annoying. I mean, if you were to hear ‘oh, he’s really smart and kind’ or ‘he’s really cute when he gets excited over books’ or ‘his hair is really nice when it’s messier’ or-”

    “Okay! Okay, I get it, just _please_ stop before you make my heart explode like a supernova,” Matt exclaimed, a hand placed over his chest.

    “Shiro really likes you, Matt. It wouldn’t be a bad thing for you to confess to him. I think it’d go well; besides, you guys are already Soulmates. Just, I don’t know, confirm it. Get your man. Ugh, it’s weird saying this about my brother,” Keith groaned, letting himself relax back into the beanbag.

    Matt only sat up in his stool, fiddling with his thumbs with a light pink flush dusting his cheeks, “Do… do you really think it’s a good idea?”

    Keith hummed aggressively in reply.

    “… When should I do it then?”

    “Whenever you feel like it.”

    “When are you leaving again, Keith?”

    “I said around two-ish. I’ll be leaving when Pidge gets back basically.”

    “I’ll do it then, I guess.”

    “Wait, already? I know I told you it’d be a good idea, but are you sure about today-”

    “I’m positive,” Matt interrupted, his resolve evident in his voice, “I’ll do it today.”

    Keith smirked at him, “Wow, look at you. Taking initiative. Think Shiro would find it a turn on?” He laughed when Matt threw a book at him (thankfully it was paperback).

    “But uh… you didn’t really answer my question,” Keith said softly, his laughter dying down.

    “Huh? Oh, right. You wanted to know what it’s like?”

    “Mhmm.”

    “It’s… It’s warm.”

    “Warm?”

    “Warm. Like, every time I talk to him or I’m near him, it’s like the temperature just raises a few degrees,” Matt chuckled to himself, eyes bright and soft.

    “What else?”

    “Well, when you’re near your romantic soulmate, your heart rate might increase, you feel all floaty and you can’t concentrate on anything else but them; sometimes your chest gets tight and it’s hard for you to breathe-” He paused, coming to a sudden realization, “Wait, you said that you couldn’t stay in Ocean Arts because you wouldn’t be able to breathe there?”

    Keith sunk further into the beanbag.

    “And, you don’t have asthma or anything, and there’s nothing in there that would make you stop breathing?”

    Keith wished the beanbag would swallow him whole.

    “ _Keiiiiiith_?” Matt sing-songed, waggling his eyebrows.

    “Shut up,” he hid his face behind his hands.

    “ _Keeeiiiiiiiiiiith_?”

    “Shut _uuuuuup_ , Matt.”

    “Do you like someone working at Ocean Arts?”

    “No.”

    “Oh, come on! Right, so you can’t like Akane or Azzurra since they’re married and you’re gay,” Matt started.

    “No, wait- are you seriously trying to figure out who it is by process of elimination?”

    “Ha! So you do like someone?”

    “Wha-? Oh, shit, wait- _MATT_!!!”

    “So one of the _two_ guys who work there is straight, unless you’ve fallen for a straight guy?” Matt joked, Keith groaning in response.

    “I’ll take that as a no. So that only leaves…” Matt tapped a finger on his chin, a slow, sickening grin creeping onto his face, “You like Lance?”

    …

    “You do, don’t you?”

    “I’m not answering that.”

    “That literally _gives_ me an answer! How did you guys meet? He’s been living here for like, what, three or four years now? And you’ve always gone to Ocean Arts; how long have you liked him?”

    “Matt, I didn’t even know he worked there until today. Hell, I only met him like, five or whatever days ago! I don’t _‘like’_ Lance,” Keith made air quotations to get his point across.

    “You know, I just don’t believe you.”

    “Why the fuck am I friends with you again?”

    “Pidge?”

    “Pidge.”

    Matt sighed before continuing, “It’s okay for you to like someone, Keith.”

    “It’s not when I’ve just met him!”

    “Dude, are you kidding me? The first time I met Shiro, I literally went back home and-”

    “Y’know, I don’t think I really wanna know what happened after you met Shiro. Keep it in your pants.”

    “I didn’t freaking jack off to him or anything, chill out! It’s not like that yet, dude.”

    “You said ‘yet.’”

    “Don’t look too much into it.”

    “Gross.”

    “Don’t talk so soon Keith. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll-”

    “Aaaaannnd this is where we stop talking about this forever.”

    “Whatever you say, pine tree.”

    “Pine tree?”

    “Get it? Because you’re pining-”

    “I GET IT.”

    “Alright, I’ll be serious,” Matt laughed in amusement, “It’s fine if you like Lance, Keith. He’s the kind of guy who can get along with practically anyone, so it’s honestly no surprise that you like him. Not to make it sound like you were bound to end up liking him.”

    Keith hummed in understanding.

    “It also wouldn’t be a problem since you both don’t have Soulmates. Shouldn’t it be fine?”

    “That’s the thing Matt, I don’t know. You fell for Shiro since you’re romantic Soulmates. Lance isn’t ‘bound’ to anyone, and my String is broken. It’s supposed to be easier this way, right? But for some reason it doesn’t feel that way.”

    “What do you mean?” Matt tilted his head in confusion.

    “Like, because we aren’t ‘fated’ to be with anyone, we actually have to make a _choice_. It shouldn’t be a bad thing, right? But when people like you and Shiro literally have a String tying you together, it’s not like you have many options. I get that some people don’t even follow Fate, and there are platonic Soulmates, but…” Keith trailed off, unsure of how to better elaborate what he wanted to say.

    “Let me guess. You think that because romantic Soulmates are already Fated to be together, those who don’t have Soulmates have to let things progress on their own, and there’s no way to know if your feelings are actually reciprocated or not,” Matt continued for him, shocking Keith into a few beats of silence.

    “I… Yeah, something like that. You said it better than I could’ve- no wonder why Shiro praises you for being so smart,” Keith remarked as Matt rolled his eyes, although his pink cheeks gave away his embarrassment.

    “We’re talking about you and Lance right now Keith, not me and Shiro. We settled that already.”

    “I mean, it’s not settled until you confess to him.”

    “Oh shut up, dude. I’ll do it later, so let’s get back to business.”

    “Don’t you mean ‘let’s get _down_ to business’?”

    “Don’t you dare start with the Disney references. Oh, by the way, if you reference Disney around Lance, I’m pretty sure he’ll swoon for you since he’s so obsessed.”

    “Wow, thanks for the information.”

    “Take your sarcasm and put it in your pocket, Keith.”

    “You’re not my mom.”

    “Whatever. Listen, being Soulmates with someone else isn’t as easy or obvious as it might look like. You can use me, Shiro, and Allura for an example. I’m only tied to Shiro, and so is Allura, but Shiro is tied to both of us. When it’s like this, relationships can go several different ways.

    “With multiple Soulmates tied to each other, they can be in a polyamorous relationship, they can all be in a platonic relationship, or two can become a couple while the others are just platonic Soulmates. I guess I’m just lucky that I turned out to be the romantic Soulmate of Shiro’s. Well, I think I am at least.”

    Keith shook his head, “You don’t have to doubt it. Shiro is practically head over heels for you, so you really don’t have to worry about it.”

    “But that’s the thing, too. With multiple Strings, you can’t be so sure until everyone who’s tied to each other talk about it. I mean, for some, it’s obvious depending on what finger someone’s String is tied around or what color the String might be, but other times it’s not easy to tell at all.”

    Keith pursed his lips, contemplating. Matt was really helping him to better understand how the Strings of Fate and Soulmates worked, but he still had his doubts. But he assumed that it was because he’d never experienced the feeling of having someone else on the other end of his String. But for Matt’s sake, he decided to agree and drop the conversation.

    “Thanks, Matt. You helped me out a bit, but I… I still don’t think I’m ready to really say I actually like Lance that way.”

    “That’s fine too; you don’t have to rush into things if you’re unsure. Just give it some time, and you’ll get your answer sooner or later. I mean, look at me! I was in denial for how long?”

    “I hope that was a rhetorical question because if not I will answer that seriously.”

    “You scare me, Keith.”

    “I’m flattered.”

    Matt snickered, getting off his stool and walking over Keith to make his way around the counter, “Alright, I’m going to finish up organizing some shelves, so you can do whatever back here as long as you don’t disturb anyone coming in.”

    Keith lifted an arm to show a thumbs up, before rummaging through his bag to open the new case of charcoal pencils. (He hoped the case didn’t allow any charcoal to stain the inside of his bag. Thankfully, none did.)

    When Matt walked off, Keith began sketching. Dark hair, tan skin, and blue eyes were all he could think about.

    He decided not to draw them.

 

* * *

 

    As Keith approached the familiar corner, he prepared himself to walk into Ocean Arts as indifferently as possible. He wanted to walk in, right up to the counter where Lance would be, and lean over it asking, “You ready?” Casual and smooth. Simple.

    Despite his attempts to calm his racing heart, Keith definitely wasn’t ready. Especially for when he rounded the corner.

    There, right outside the art store was a skinny, grey-blue cat, nudging up against the casually dressed Lance gently petting its head, a soft expression on his face. _Fuuuuuuuck_.

    Lance had changed out of his work outfit, now wearing a pastel pink sweater over a cream collared shirt, its sleeves sticking out from underneath the sweater. He wore sky blue jeans, faded at the knees and folded up above the ankles. Keith tried not to stare at them. (He failed). On his feet, Lance wore Converse, obviously painted over with paint markers, a matching pink and blue to the rest of his outfit. Little white marks on his shoes made them look like a pastel night sky. Upon everything though, Keith was shaken by the glasses still sitting on Lance’s nose.

    _Did Keith have a thing for glasses? Or just glasses on Lance? He couldn’t tell._

    Keith immediately felt underdressed, with his old, beige, oversized cardigan with grey t-shirt and ripped, black skinny jeans. He thought the only cute part about his own outfit were the sweater paws he had, and the literal paw prints on the pockets of his cardigan.

    Just then, the cat Lance was petting looked over at Keith’s direction and mewled, Lance looking up and finally spotting him. Keith tried to ignore the bright smile that he immediately made upon seeing him. (He couldn’t).

    “Keith!” Lance called out, waving him over. Keith obliged to his beckoning, walking over to the boy still squatting close to the ground to pet the (upon closer inspection since Keith just so happened to be an ‘expert’ with cats) Russian Blue.

    “Is this the cat that usually shows up here? I’ve never come across them before,” Keith smiled, bending his legs to join Lance at his level, holding out his hand for the cat to bump its head gently into it, letting him know they wanted to socialize.

    “Yeah, this is Blue! Before you ask, yes, Azzurra named her. But I seem to be the one taking more care of her whenever she comes around,” Lance giggled, watching as Keith gently scratched the underneath of Blue’s chin, a content _purr_ coming from the happy cat.

    “She’s really cute. And really skinny,” Keith pointed out, now stroking the length of her body to the top of her rump.

    Lance nodded, “Yeah. She’s been doing well for being a stray cat, but it’d be nicer if someone would take her in…”

    “Have you considered taking her in?”

    “I have, but I’m not sure if I can do it…”

    “How come?”

    “I dunno, I guess I just don’t trust myself all that much. Afraid of messing something up,” Lance admitted.

    Keith looked up from Blue to stare at Lance, his expression difficult to read, “I think you’d be good at taking care of her.”

    Lance looked at Keith with surprise, “Wait, really?”

    “Yeah, I mean,” Keith broke eye contact with Lance in order to calm himself, “You’re already sort of taking care of her now. She trusts you, right? It might be a little stressful when first taking in a pet, but after the ‘am I doing things right’ phase, you sort of fall into a routine.”

    Keith noticed Lance blinking at him, “I, uh, own a cat myself. So, that’s why I know what it feels like. Then again, it still might not be the same since I do live with Shiro and our dad. I’m really the only one taking care of Red though.”

    Lance snorted suddenly, “Red?”

    “I named her after Akane.”

    Lance’s laugh made him shake, causing him to place a hand on the ground to balance himself out, Keith smiling and laughing along with him.

Keith thought back to what Matt said, “ _You feel all floaty and you can’t concentrate on anything else but them._ ” That could definitely be applied in this situation. Peter Pan and his faith, trust, and pixie dust wouldn’t be able to make him feel as floaty as Lance’s smile could.

_How fucking hard did he fall for this guy already?_

“Alright, so,” Lance startled him out of his trance, already standing up. He offered a hand to Keith, “You down for a late lunch?”

Keith gratefully took his hand, getting pulled up by the taller boy, “Sure. Where to?”

 

* * *

 

 

_[_ _11:30 pm Wednesday]_

**Keith:**

Hey Lance

You still up?

**Lance:**

Heyyyy Ponytail

Yeah I’m up

We’ve been texting past midnight tho

Do you really think I’d go to sleep early?

Lol

**Keith:**

I guess I should’ve expected that

But uh

I just wanted to say thanks? For today I guess

**Lance:**

You thank me a lot dude haha

I asked if we could hang out tho it’s fine

It was fun!! Although I’m kinnnnd of still salty about that guy from earlier

**Keith:**

Lance, his order was smaller than ours

It would make sense that he got his food first

Give the poor man a break he looked really tired

**Lance:**

Alright finnne

But I was hungry!!! And you probably were too so

I just wanted fooooood Keith

**Keith:**

Yeah yeah I got it

But still

Thanks

It really was fun

Maybe we should hang out again next time?

 

    Keith slapped his forehead at the realization of the text he’d just sent. _Maybe we should hang out again next time?_ What was he asking Lance for, a _date_? Gah, why was he so embarrassing?

    And great! Lance wasn’t replying. _Why wasn’t he replying? Did he get weirded out? Did he know something? Did Keith ruin any chance of having a good friendship with him? Was it over-_

 

**Lance:**

Sure! Just name the time and date and we can hang if you want!

 

    Oh thank _God_.

 

**Keith:**

Cool

I’m gunna go draw a little now?

You should try and go to sleep earlier

**Lance:**

Sleep???? Who’s she????

 

    Keith snorted, shaking his head. He opened his sketchpad to a blank page with one hand. _Of course Lance would respond like this._

**Keith:**

Lance seriously

Get some more sleep

You have work tomorrow

**Lance:**

So do you Ponytail

**Keith:**

Point taken

I’ll sleep after one sketch

**Lance:**

Finnnneeeeeeee

I’ll go to bed now then

Text you tomorrow Keithy boy!!! ＼(＾▽＾)／

 

    _An emoticon? Cute._

 

**Keith:**

Yeah

Goodnight Lance :)

**Lance:**

Night Keith~!!!

 

    Keith gently tossed his phone aside on his bed, picking up a brand new charcoal pencil to begin sketching.

    Once again, Lance was the only one who popped into his mind.

    Pastel pink sweater, curly hair, glasses.

    Blue eyes.

    This time, Keith allowed his hand free will to sketch what he wanted.

    Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, before you start wondering who Azzurra and Akane are, they're basically my versions of human Red and Blue. Yeah, I know, I also included Red and Blue as normal cats, but I wanted to show how I imagined them being like if they were hooman beans so ye
> 
> These boys are also beginning to pine for each other p bad now oho
> 
> I won't get another chapter updated for a while since I've got to study for finals, then actually take them, so you might not see anything new for a month or so (since school's out then). I hope that you'll check out my other fic once I get it out, but it will have very mature themes in it, so it won't be everyone's cup of tea. 
> 
> But anyways, I hope you liked this chapter update!! I really appreciate the comments people have left :O Please stick around for the next update and have a good day~

**Author's Note:**

> Yup, I told you it was really short. Not my ideal length for a chapter but, I couldn't think of a way to extend it without making it awkward? And I just wanted it to be plot set up as well soooo yeah!
> 
> If you want, please check out my tumblrs, especially if you have any questions about the world that the characters live in for this au! Soulmate au worlds can be pretty confusing, so if you want to better understand how the Strings of Fate and stuff works, just send in an ask to either of my blogs!  
> Main: [lucid--dreamer](http://lucid--dreamer.tumblr.com/)  
> Vld/klance side: [space--ranger--partners](http://space--ranger--partners.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
> [Also, I wanted to acknowledge that yes, I have another fic called Serenade that I haven't updated in a long time. It's really because I got stuck in a writer's block for the particular chapter I've been trying to work on. I'm currently debating re-writing an entire section of it, which honestly shouldn't take a long time, but this is why I've not updated it recently. Thank you for your understanding and patience!]


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